| name | winner-stress-testing |
| description | Stress-test the winning candidate using Pre-mortem, Red Teaming, and Failure Mode Analysis to expose hidden weaknesses before commitment. |
| dependencies | {"tactics":["adversarial-debate-protocol","assumption-excavation","multi-perspective-attack"]} |
Winner Stress-Testing
Purpose: Subject the convergence winner to rigorous adversarial pressure, identifying failure modes, hidden assumptions, and boundary conditions that could cause the decision to fail in practice.
When to use:
- After a winner has been selected but before final commitment
- When the decision carries high stakes or irreversibility
- When the winner was selected by narrow margin
- When implementation risk is uncertain
Budget
| Metric | Minimum |
|---|
| Attack angles | >= 3 distinct failure vectors |
| Assumptions challenged | >= 5 |
| Pre-mortem scenarios | >= 3 |
| Severity threshold | All HIGH severity findings must be addressed |
State Ledger
winner: <candidate>
attack_vectors_applied: []
assumptions_found: []
failure_modes: []
severity_ratings: {}
verdict: null
conditions_for_acceptance: []
Available Tactics
| Tactic | When to Deploy |
|---|
| assumption-excavation | Default — extract and challenge winner's assumptions |
| adversarial-debate-protocol | When specific weaknesses need formal debate |
| multi-perspective-attack | When winner affects multiple stakeholder groups |
Available SOPs
- assumption-extraction — surface hidden assumptions in the winner
- assumption-challenge — attack each assumption
- conclusion-sensitivity — map which assumptions are load-bearing
- critic-attack — direct attack on winner's case
- judge-verdict — render accept/reject/revise
Execution Guidance
- Deploy assumption-excavation to surface and challenge assumptions
- Identify critical assumptions from sensitivity map
- For each critical assumption, assess mitigation feasibility
- If >= 1 unmitigable critical assumption, verdict is REVISE or REJECT
- Record all findings in Challenge Ledger
Output Format
strategy: winner-stress-testing
winner: <candidate>
assumptions_found: <count>
critical_assumptions: <count>
failure_modes:
- mode: <description>
severity: HIGH | MEDIUM | LOW
mitigable: true | false
verdict: ACCEPT | REJECT | REVISE
conditions: []
recommended_modifications: []
Available Tactics
Optional, no fixed order; the final leaf is always a sop.
| Tactic | When to use |
|---|
| adversarial-debate-protocol | Structured debate protocol that constructs an advocate, deploys critic attacks, and renders a judge verdict through iterative rounds. |
| assumption-excavation | Systematic extraction, challenge, and sensitivity analysis of assumptions underlying a decision to identify load-bearing beliefs. |
| multi-perspective-attack | Assign distinct perspectives to attack a decision from multiple angles, then synthesize findings into a unified assessment. |